(SportsNetwork.com) - Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference jump it
up Friday night when the Indiana Pacers welcome the Chicago Bulls to Bankers
Life Fieldhouse.

The Pacers are the East's best team by three games over the two-time defending
NBA champion Miami Heat. The Bulls are 12 games behind the Pacers in the
Central Division, but trail the third-place Toronto Raptors by only a half-
game.

The Pacers had a four-game winning streak snapped Wednesday night when a visit
to Madison Square Garden went sour. The New York Knicks, empowered by Phil
Jackson's first game appearance as team president, defeated Indiana, 92-86.

Indiana was led by 21 from Lance Stephenson and 20 from Roy Hibbert. All-Star
Paul George finished with 17, but went 4-for-17 from the field.

The Pacers shot just 42.5 percent from the field and 21.7 percent from beyond
the 3-point arc. Perhaps more troubling was that the Pacers had only 12
assists on 31 made field goals, including just two in the first half.

"Tonight was definitely a lot of one-on-one," said Stephenson. "We only had
two assists in the first half. That's not Pacers basketball. We play together
as a unit. I understand we were trying to set screens and they were going
under but we still have to play together, make the right play and make sure
everybody is happy on the floor."

The Bulls atoned for a home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday with
an eight-point victory in Philadelphia over the hapless 76ers. Chicago walked
off with a 102-94 to hand the Sixers their 22nd consecutive loss.

Chicago had a tough time of it with a valiant Sixers team. Philly got within
four in the fourth, but Tony Wroten barely missed a layup on the rim, and
Jimmy Butler made two free throws to essentially seal the victory.